Get ready – summer is finally here. It’s a great relief for all Kapha people, as they will get to enjoy the nice weather without any risk of allergies. No cold, cough, or sneezing! But for Pitta people, it may be a difficult season, as they need to adapt to increasing heat. As summer begins, everyone will be ready to start grilling with lots of spicy food and oily treats. But this type of food – red meat, spicy sauce, tomatoes, etc. serve to aggravate pitta. Commonly, people show signs of increased gastric acidity, burning sensation in stomach, increased acne, skin rashes, some times burning sensation while urinating, and exhaustion. All these symptoms will indicate increased pitta in the body. Pitta is hot, sharp, light and oily in nature. Taste like sour, salty & pungent will aggravate pitta. To balance this or to cope up with this change, try to eat foods with cooling properties. Sweet, astringent, and bitter foods will reduce the pitta. Spices like cumin, coriander, fennel, mint, basil and cardamom, saffron will help to reduce pitta. Similarly, fruits like melons, watermelons, grapes, and coconut are the best. Drink plenty of fluids, water, coconut water, fruit juices, and cucumber water. Simple Lifestyle changes to beat the heat: • Keep the body cool, use sandalwood water, rose water for bath • Apply sandalwood paste or powder on body • Avoid excessive physical exercise • Enjoy moonlight in the night • Wear gems like pearls, coral • Stay in cool places, avoid exposure to sun • Take bath(s) with cold water, wear light dresses • Go for a soothing walk, in the evening, near the beach or river Happy Summer Solstice!

Picture yourself after you wake up in the morning. What is the first thing you think of before you even get out of bed? That freshly brewed coffee or shot of espresso? Or that bowl of oatmeal or crisp bacon and egg? This is how most people start their day – thinking about food. Come to think of it, there are some people who are thinking about what they would eat for their next meal, even as they are eating. And that is how their lives revolve around food. They essentially live to eat.

An attitude like this drives all rational thoughts out of the mind; people stop caring about health and do not recognize true hunger from habitual or compulsive eating. For people with this behavior, the mindset of living to eat is the root cause of many chronic diseases like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases.

Some people turn to food when they get upset. These people try to find love or peace or comfort in food. This attitude facilitates ignoring one's worries for some time and stimulates the reward system in the brain to achieve instant gratification. When this behavior becomes repetitive, emotional eating culminates in a myriad of health issues. Not surprisingly, all comfort foods are sweet, moist, unctuous or oily. Common examples include ice cream, chocolates, cakes and cookies, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, and pizza. Processed sugars, high fat, and high sodium in these foods are deleterious to health.

The human body is an amazing instrument that gives us appropriate signals throughout the day. One only needs to be vigilant to understand what the body is trying to say. The body tells us about hunger, thirst, tiredness and sleep; when we start listening to these signals, we become more aware of our body and mind. We become more in touch with our inner self. Total awareness of one's inner self or soul is what a yogi achieves. And that is the ultimate goal of yoga.Changing one's attitude to “Eat to Live” can lead one along the path of health and happiness!

﻿Ah, springtime! Following cold and drab winters, it presents an opportunity to throw open the windows and let in some sunshine – into our homes and lives. It is the perfect time to make our homes and lives clean, happy and efficient. Similarly, cleaning or clearing the body and mind can serve as a much-needed spring detoxification. Winters usually are associated with eating fatty foods, desserts, etc. The fact that winter has two major holidays does nothing to further add to this atrocity we commit via a bad diet. So all this junk food starts accumulating in our body and slows down or blocks the flow of the life force or prana. One can compare this to a computer that “freezes” when its memory is not cleared off all the junk. Likewise, a ou get feeling you are stuck! Then comes the magic command RESTART…. And everything comes to normal. How we can restart our body system? Follow these easy steps to reboot your system. This will give you new energized body & mind. 1. A glass of water early in the morning. Water helps in removing body toxins and accumulated waste. It aids in good elimination. It improves skin complexion. For Vata constitution drink warm water, For pitta constitution drink room temperature water + 1 tsp juice of lemon. For Kapha constitution drink Warm water + 1 tsp Honey 2. Do yoga in the morning. Yoga helps in improving energy flow in the body. Sun salutations are the complete body exercise, which improves the functioning of digestive system, cardiovascular system. This improves flexibility of the body and improves the mental capacity. Physical exercise brings about lightness, stability and stimulates the digestive fire. 3. Wheat grass juice: This is an excellent detoxification agent. It acts as skin cleanser, colon cleanser. It controls blood pressure. Improves functioning of brain, nervous system, and respiratory system. You can drink wheat grass juice + carrot juice + fruits. 4. Eat Fresh produce: Always try to incorporate organic fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Try to eat foods including 6 taste and 7 colors of rainbow. It will not only boost your body but will also stimulate mind. 5. Restore Elimination: This is an important step in the detox programs. Eating high fiber diet and drinking plenty of water throughout the day is crucial. Eating black raisins soaked in water in morning is also helpful. 6. Spices: use of different spices like turmeric, cumin, coriander, and fennel while cooking is very beneficial. These spices remove accumulated toxins from the body. They improves digestion 7. Skins cleanse: dried ground orange peel or lemon peel. You can substitute ground lavender or rose petals or sandalwood powder. Exfoliate skin by rubbing these dry powders on your body. 8. Mind Cleanse: This is the last but most important. Clean up your thoughts bring Sunshine to the mind. Choose a good happy thought for the day and revise it. Make a motto bring positive thoughts. Take action to resolve your fights. Spend more time with people who will inspire you. Healthy body & happy mind key to long life! Happy Cleaning! ﻿

AUM A very common question, What is meaning of AUM? I will share my story with you. When I was a kid, my mother used to chant AUM with me. At that time she told me it was a mystic word that does magic in your life. This was the simple explanation and being kid it is so obvious to get attracted to that magical word. But later when I start growing up, I came across different meanings of this Magical word. The symbol AUM is composed of three syllables, namely the letters A, U, M, and when written it has a crescent and dot on its top. Some time you will also see it is spelled as OM. The Latin word 'Omne' and the Sanskrit word 'Aum' are both derived from the same root meaning 'all'. These both words convey the same concept of omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. Aum is the beeja (seed) mantra or invocation. Many other invocations start with this beeja mantra. It brings the positive energy and aid in healing. In yoga, you will find a deep meaning of this word. This word acts as device to complete a union between the physical body and spiritual body. The syllable, “a” is analogous with the conscious or waking state, called jagrata-avastha in Sanskrit. The “u” represents the dream state or svapna-avastha. The “m” is the dreamless sleep state or susupta-avastha. The word AUM represents the full state of realization, turiya-avastha. The 3 letters, represent the triad of Divinity, namely, Brahma - the creator, Visnu - the Maintainer and Siva - the Destroyer of the universe. The whole symbol represents Brahman from which the universe emanates, has its growth and fruition and into which it merges in the end. It does not grow or change. Many change and pass, but Brahman is the One that ever remains unchanged. The AUM is the realization of man's divinity within himself. The entire symbol stands for this realization of body, mind and spirit. The 3 letters represent the 3 qualities of mind- Satva, Rajas & Tamas. Meditation with Aum- Generally early mornings are the best time to do meditation, as the atmosphere is full of Satva guna or good qualities. Sit in a comfortable position in a clean, quiet area. Close your eyes then start concentrating on the rhythm of your heart, rhythm of your breath. Take a deep breath and chant a long AUM. You will feel the vibrations in your chest. Later with practice of repeated chanting you will feel vibrations all over the body. You can do Omkar (continues chanting of AUM) 11 times, 21 times and later on practice it 108 times. You can use Japa mala (String of 108 beads) for counting. Benefits:

The will bring a healing vibe in your body and mind.

It is good not only for adults but also to the kids. It helps to increase concentration, improves attention span, focus during study. It improves their thinking ability

It creates positive energy flow in your body and your surroundings.

Listening and performing chanting of the AUM gives you calming effects and reduces stress rapidly. It gives peace, mental relaxation.

The Sanskrit word "Darshana" means philosophy and originates from "drsh" meaning "to view". Hence, darshana indicates looking at life and realizing the truth. Yoga teaches us to examine life and the body-mind connection with the aim of realizing one’s true nature. Ayurveda is not only a science but also a philosophy. There are main 6 philosophies of life called “Shad Darshana”. 1. Samkhya Darshana: Expounded by Acharya Kapila Mahamuni Acharya Kapila has described 24 principles in the formation of Universe. These are Avyakta (Unmanifested form), Mahat (Cosmic intelligence), Ahankar (Ego), 5 Tanmatras (Objects of perception), 5 Jnanedriyas (5 senses), 5 Karmendriyas (5 motor faculties) and 5 Mahabhutas (5 great elements). This darshana has introduced the concept of Prakruti and Purusha as avyakta. It explains how universe is developed from this unmanifested form. 2. Nyaya Darshana: Expounded by Acharya Gautama. Nyaya means knowledge. This darshana believes in obtaining knowledge by proofs (Pramanas) & critical logic. It describes the 4 sources of knowledge as Pratyaksha (Direct Perception), Anumana (Inference), Upaman (Analogy) and Shabda (Words by an Authority).3. Vaisheshika Darshana: Expounded by Acharya Kanada Vaisheshikas have described the atomic theory of creation (Paramanuvada). This darshana describes the causative substances (Padartha) of the Universe. These are Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Soul (Atma), Mind (Mana), Time (Kaal) and Direction (Dig). They have also described 6 categories of substance, including Substance (Dravya), quality (Guna), Action (Karma), Similar (Samanaya), Dissimilar (Vishesh), and Samvaya (Unbreakable relation).4. Mimamsa: Expounded by Acharya Jaimini Mimasa is performing inquiry to reach the truth. Purva Mimasa is based on Vedas; Uttar Mimasa is based on Upanishadas. This darshana has emphasized on spiritual rites, discipline and religious rituals. It has said that performing or following dharma (Duty) leads to the path of liberation.5. Vedanta: Expounded by Acharya Badarayana.Veda means knowledge, Anta means End. Vedanta is detailed in the Upanishadas. Vedanta is based the on principles of knowledge and realization of the Self. There are 3 main branches of Vedanta:

Advaita Vedanta- Described by Shankaracharya is the philosophy of non-dualism.

Vishishadvaita Vedanta- Described by Ramanujacharya is the philosophy of qualified non-dualism.

Dvaita Vedanta- Described by Madhavacharya is the philosophy of dualism.

6. Yoga: Expounded by Acharya Patanjali Yoga derived from Sanskrit root word “Yuj” means Unite. It is the union of individual self to the Universal self. Acharya Patanjali has described the 8 limbs of yoga. He has described the path of self-discipline to attain liberation i.e. Moksha. In addition, Ayurveda has accepted yoga for healing purposes. These are the different philosophies of life. These philosophies help us explore the world on macro and microscopic level. They help us understand the origin of Universe and form the guiding principles for us to lead long, healthy and happy lives, while performing dharma (Duty), Artha (Money), Kama (Objects) and Moksha (Liberation).

This shloka from Charak Samhita means: Ayurveda is a science that describes the advantageous, disadvantageous, happy and unhappy states of life , in addition to what is good and bad for life and its measurement.

This ancient science deals with not only longevity but also with maintaining good healthy body and mind.

Ayurveda is a science of body and mind. Ayurveda embraces health of body as well as mind.

Swasthasya swasthya rakshanam Aturasya vyadhi parimoksha |

Ayurveda shows different ways to maintain health of a person and also the different ways to cure a diseased person. Hence it is a complete science that helps the healthy as well as the sick person.

Ayurvedic philosophy is based on "shad darshan" or the six philosophies of life, which were developed by the ancient sages from India. Many of the scriptures are from Vedas which are almost 10,000yrs old. These Vedas have their Upavedas or additional Vedas.

Rigveda – Science of life

Yajurveda – Science of archery

Atharvaveda – Science of architecture

Samaveda – Science of music

Some scholars feel like the origin of Ayurveda is from Rigveda but some believe its origin is in Atharvaveda.

Lord Dhanvantari

Vedas are the supreme pure knowledge. Initially Lord Bramha gave this divine knowledge to Daksha Prajapati, who passed this to Ashvin. The Ashvin twins taught this to Indra, who passed it on to Atreya and so on. This guru shishya parampara was how many rishis acquired this divine knowledge. In the initial series of this parampara, knowledge was passed on from Guru to his disciple(s) in the form of oral tradition of rote memorization of shlokas or verses. Later, this knowledge was written down and took the form of the various samhitas described below.

The Great Triad of Ayurveda (Bruhat Trayi)

The oldest ancient text on Ayurveda is Charaka Samhita, which is written by Acharya Charak around 400 CE. Acharya Charak is called as the father of Ayurvedic medicine.

Sushrut Samhita is written by Acharya Sushruta, father of Ayurvedic surgery and explains detailed human anatomy. He described various surgeries including plastic surgery. Acharya sushruta has followed Dhavantari sampradaya i.e. school of surgeons.

Ashtang Hridaya is written by Acharya Vagbhata around 6th century CE.

Minor Tiad of Ayurveda (Laghu Trayi)

Madhavnidan was written by Acharya Madhav around 7th-8th century AD. It is the best compilation for diagnosis or roga vinishchaya.

Sharangdhar Samhita written by Acharya Sharangdhara around 1226 AD. He has described various prescriptions, formulation of herbs and mineral pitch.

Bhavprakash Samhita written by Acharya Bhavmisra around 1558 AD. He has described old as well as new diseases in his book.

These major and minor triads of Ayurveda are the best sources of written ayurvedic knowledge.

We worship Lord Dhanvantari, the father of Ayurveda. He first appeared during the great churning of the cosmic ocean of milk that was described as Samudra manthan in Vedic philosophy, to deliver amrit or the Divine nectar. Lord Dhanvantari is described as holding a conch, leeches, healing herbs, a chakra (one of the divine weapons of Lord Vishnu) and the long sought pot of ambrosia. It is written in the Vedic scriptures that, “One who remembers the name of Dhanvantari is released from all disease.” Lord Dhanvantari is worshipped all over India as the Lord of Medicine.On the occasion of this new year's day of 2013, we offer our humble prayers to Lord Dhanvantari and seek his blessings for health, happiness, prosperity and spirituality in life. May He bestow on us knowledge, compassion, understanding and insight for the practice of this ancient science.